


Did I mention?

by EBDaydreamer



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M, Light Angst, Minor Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-02
Updated: 2017-12-02
Packaged: 2019-02-09 19:11:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12894837
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EBDaydreamer/pseuds/EBDaydreamer
Summary: The Doctor has lost so much, but that could just be the determination he needs to do the impossible.





	Did I mention?

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this ages ago and forgot about it...oops

49 years and 272 days since he lost the Ponds.

It had been nearly fifty years.

He still hadn’t changed the TARDIS interior, though every part of him was itching to, he just couldn’t bring himself to do it. He couldn’t let go of the decor that he had whilst introducing his lively redheaded friend to the universe and all its wonders and dangers.

He had considered making some changes to his wardrobe, having found a new coat in the depths of the TARDIS wardrobe, growing a little tired of the tweed jacket. Maybe he could add a waistcoat, or change the colour of his bow tie. He should definitely find a fez at least.

It was just typical for a Time Lord to abhor change so much - this incarnation seemed to hate endings more than the others.

Nearly five decades since his main priority was the Ponds. Five decades since he felt his two hearts break for what could easily be the thousandth time. Five decades since he decided to dedicate all his time to the impossible task he should’ve taken up centuries ago.

And he’d be damned if he didn’t succeed.

*

Rose Tyler had led a good life, a fantastic life even: she had a great job working alongside her father that was supposed to be dead; she had a little brother and a niece and nephews that she adored to bits; and most of all, she had an adoring husband. So, yeah, Rose could say she’d led a pretty good life.

However, her life had a cost nobody could possibly have predicted.

It was a regular Saturday, and she was slouched outside a coffee shop, sipping her second cup whilst reading an old book - Agatha Christie, one of her husband’s favourites. Carefully skimming the old pages with a fond smile, she didn’t notice when a shadow cast over her, not until an unfamiliar voice piped up, “By the way…”

Rose glanced up, seeing a man in a dark coat and a bow tie standing restlessly by the chair across from her. Clearly, he was smothering excitement, joy tinting his eyes, his foreign yet oddly familiar eyes.

“Did I mention?”

Rose cocked her head to the side, feeling her lips tug at the corners but not daring to hope.

“It also travels in time.”

Rose let a grin crack open on her face, obviously all the invitation he needed to sit down. God, she couldn’t believe it, she actually couldn’t believe it.

“You know, you could honestly have said anything at that point and I’d be in that stupid box of yours,” she admitted.

He chuckled, a look of pure adoration in his ancient eyes.

“So what look were you goin’ for this time?” she asked, taking another sip of tea. “Esteemed gentleman?”

“At first it was more...what’s the word? Tweedy! Tweedy professor.” His fingers fidgeted as he tried to control the need to hold her hand. “I felt like a change recently, after I lost...my friends.”

Rose straightened up at that, studying him properly for the first time. Surprisingly, her most eager question wasn’t how the hell he’d done it, or why now.

“How many?”

His eyes - green, this time - flickered away from her and she noticed him tense up. Even in this new body, she could still read him like a book.

A plea was audible as she begged, “How many years has it been? How many more have been travelling with you?” 

The Doctor sighed, “I don’t know. About 350-ish? I wasn’t in my last body much longer. And I’ve been travelling with the Ponds ever since I regenerated. Married couple. About fifty years ago they…” he trailed off, the familiar look of longing clouding his eyes. “Sent back in time, trapped, I couldn’t save them. They were together at least. I also travel with their daughter, on and off - she’s technically my wife, though I’m not sure that ceremony counts. She’s part Time Lord, conceived in the TARDIS - that caused a lot of issues.”

The Doctor met Rose’s gaze, and saw her trying to process all this new information. She opened her mouth, and he expected a question about the Ponds or River or even how he regenerated, but he could never expect the broken whisper that escaped her.

“How many times have you forgotten my name?”

He inhaled sharply - did she really think he was capable of that? She lives with his Meta-Crisis, surely she knows how she haunted him after Canary Wharf - how could she think this would be much better? How couldn’t she realise she’d ghosted every living moment? Her presence always there, reminders scattered throughout time and space. How could she not think every quiet moment he got she was there, very much present in his mind, scorched onto his soul forever. Forever; like she promised.

But he could never tell her all that, so he instead settled for: “I could never forget you, Rose Tyler.”

“Right,” she snapped, voice still low and trembling, “but you’ve tried.”

Bitterly, he laughed, “Of course I’ve tried! I’ve tried to forget so much in this body. Remembering hurts, Rose. It hurts so much.”

Rose felt her anger melt away at the pure heartbreak in his eyes, understanding it wasn’t just remembering her that had been hurting him the past three and a half centuries.

“So, how’s the other me? How’s Jackie and Tony and Ricky?”

“Mickey,” she corrected automatically, letting the smile take over her face for a brief second. He really didn’t know…

The Doctor waved his hand, “Whatever. How long has it been? Has your TARDIS grown yet?”

“Yeah,” Rose choked. “It’s in my garage gathering dust. I couldn’t bear to look at it after…” Her voice broke as tears started tracking down her face.

“Rose? What happened?” The Doctor felt dread wash over him; humans were so breakable.

“He died,” Rose gasped out, trying to hide how her voice shook. “It was a long time ago.”

“A long time… how long has it been? Even if you managed to accelerate it, the TARDIS would still take years to grow-”

“I’m 254, Doctor.”

Both of the Doctor’s hearts skipped a beat.

He thought he was giving her a lifetime with him - her human lifetime. She deserved to grow old with the man she loved, yet somehow (and he had a pretty good theory how) she’d outlived him, her life prolonged, ageing only five-ish years in over 200.

“We had a good life- great even. We had our TARDIS and our family. But they all died years ago. Mum, Pete, the Doctor, Tony, my niece and nephews...our children. All gone.”

The Doctor had never hated himself like he did now. She should not have gone through that, and no parent should outlive their child.

“Some mates at Torchwood helped me out when it became obvious I hadn’t aged. Something about Huon particles. No one knew what they were. I recognised them, and the Doctor said they were from the he-”

“Heart of the TARDIS,” he finished. “Bad Wolf.”

“Yeah,” Rose sighed. “Seemed she took forever a bit literally.”

“Rose, I am so s-”

“Don’t,” she snapped. “Don’t you dare because I have had a fantastic life, you hear me? I’ve had years to mourn and I will always love them but I’m ready to move on.” She inhaled heavily, looking away from him, eyes still watery. The Doctor didn’t know what to say. He knew what it was like to lose everyone you love. And she didn’t even use a time machine to run away. What must she have been through? How did she explain her constant youth? Or was she constantly moving, never getting attached so after a few years she’d up and move? What had she done?

“So,” she exhaled, “what are you waiting for? Aren’t you gonna invite me to run away in your big blue box?”

She beamed at him, and the Doctor hadn’t felt so light in centuries.

He stood and she followed suit, gazing excitedly at him. Boldly he stepped forward and clasped her hand, finding it fit just as well as it had always done.

“Run!”


End file.
